The Blue Arrow Soars: Jamal Murray’s Insane Start and the End of His All-Star Purgatory

Jamal Murray is not just playing well; he is playing with a ferocity, efficiency, and consistency that has finally broken through the national noise and established him, unequivocally, as a legitimate NBA superstar. His early season performance for the Denver Nuggets has erased the “Playoff Murray” vs. “Regular Season Murray” narrative and forced the league’s recognition, culminating in his first-ever Western Conference Player of the Week award—a symbolic milestone that ended an incredible Nikola Jokic monopoly.

The buzz around the Blue Arrow is no longer just coming from Denver fans; it is an NBA-wide acknowledgment that the reigning champions finally have a second, bona fide All-Star, and his statistical profile has never been cleaner, clearer, or more compelling.

The All-Star Case: A Statistical Apex

Murray’s 2025-2026 season is, by every measurable metric, the statistical peak of his career. At 28 years old, he has shed the injury-related starts of previous years and is operating with an efficiency that rivals the league’s elite creators.

Category	2025-26 Average	Previous Career High (Any Season)	All-Star Tier Rank (Approx.)
Points Per Game (PPG)	25.0	21.4 (2024-25)	Top 20
Assists Per Game (APG)	6.8	6.5 (2023-24)	Top 15
Field Goal % (FG%)	50.6%	48.1% (2023-24)	Elite (for a high-volume guard)
Three-Point % (3PT%)	44.7%	42.5% (2023-24)	Top 5
True Shooting % (TS%)	63.5%	61.1% (Playoffs 2023)	Superstar Efficiency

The 50/40/90 Club Doorbell

The most compelling part of Murray’s case is his near-perfect shooting splits. He is currently on pace to join the ultra-exclusive 50/40/90 club for field goal, three-point, and free throw percentage.

• 50.6% FG

• 44.7% 3PT

• 89.8% FT

Sustaining this level of efficiency on a career-high usage rate is almost unheard of for a primary ball-handler. This is the hallmark of a player whose shot selection is impeccable, whose shot-making is undeniable, and whose presence guarantees elite offense.

The Defining Moment: The 52-Point Masterpiece

The Player of the Week honor was the direct result of a spectacular stretch of games, highlighted by a performance that will be etched into Nuggets history: the 52-point explosion against the Indiana Pacers.

Murray was listed as questionable with an ankle sprain, yet he put on a shooting clinic that defied the laws of probability:

• 19-of-25 from the field (76.0% FG)

• 10-of-11 from three-point range (90.9% 3PT)

This performance was historically efficient, joining only one other 50-point game in the last 30 years where the player shot 75%+ from the field with only one or fewer turnovers (a mark Murray also owns). It was the kind of statement game—following a period of injury uncertainty—that voters and fans cannot ignore.

The End of the Jokic Monopoly

As noted in a previous response, the Player of the Week award was significant for what it ended: the streak of over six years where Nikola Jokic was the only Denver Nugget to win the award. The fact that an entire championship run occurred without a single week where the second-best player was recognized speaks to the sheer, singular gravity of Jokic.

Murray breaking this streak symbolizes the final maturation of the Nuggets’ dynasty: they are now officially a two-star system where the second star is performing at a level where his own greatness is undeniable, even when compared directly to the reigning Finals MVP.

The Path to His First All-Star Nod

For years, Murray’s main hurdles to the All-Star Game were simple: health (the ACL recovery) and the sheer logjam of talent in the Western Conference guard pool (Luka, Shai, Curry, Booker, Edwards, etc.).

This season, the obstacles have largely been overcome:

1. Health & Consistency: Murray has played in 22 of 23 games and had no “slow start,” maintaining his elite production from opening night.

2. Team Success: The Nuggets hold one of the best records in the West (17-6), fueled by a franchise-record 10-game road winning streak. Winners get All-Stars.

3. The Player of the Week Nudge: The Player of the Week award provides a critical, formal league acknowledgment that will stick in the minds of the coaches who select the reserves.

Jamal Murray’s long-awaited arrival in the regular-season elite has finally happened. The only question remaining is not if he will be an All-Star, but whether the coaches will be brave enough to anoint him as one of the starting backcourt partners for the Western Conference.